Use Social Media to Improve Your Job Search

Network to develop contacts in your field, use social media to improve your job search with the ultimate goal of securing a job interview. You may not gain any contacts or benefit from employing this method, but with more employers getting involved in this culture you will have yourself out there, visible in the field.

Improve Your Job Search With Social Media

A buzzword on the internet is “social media” you can't go anywhere or do anything online without seeing the Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn icons. So why not take advantage of their ubiquity, and capitalize on their success by using social media to improve your job search?

It is a common fact that most recruiters in the current job market employ some form of internet searches in their hunt for employees. What you post online about yourself makes a big impact in the business world. Using these websites is basically free advertising for your skills and services, and gives you the chance to market yourself to virtually any company in the world.

Using social media as a business professional goes well beyond listing your accolades and certifications. Recruiters will view this form of communication to get to know your personality and character traits before they even qualify you.

Think about how much information you can learn from a single Facebook profile. Your picture, a detailed description of your likes, dislikes, interests, and favorite places are all available to the casual viewer. If you clean up your profile and check that all of your posts are appropriate and used for professional advancement, you could make a company want to hire you before you even meet face-to-face.

Strategies to Improve Your Job Search Using Social Media

Much of the information listed below are suggestions about how these techniques could be used in a professional setting. This can be used as a tool to help with your job search. That is not to say that all these ideas will work for you, but they are certainly worth considering.

Know What Not To Do
When you delve into the use of social media, you should first brush up on what the big mistakes are that you should avoid. The major actions that you should stay away from on these sites are mistakes such as posting inappropriate images, videos, or updates that include profane, provocative, or irresponsible behavior. The days of partying are over, and you need to demonstrate to an employer that you are responsible and ready for commitment.

Any kind of postings about alcohol or drugs should definitely be avoided, as well as any discriminatory or otherwise offensive comments or images. Another negative action that major news headlines have reported about in the past is people venting online, learn not to do it! Do not employ any of these sites to trash talk, no previous positions you held, coworkers, customers, or bosses that you have ever had; that is one of the worst mistakes you can make.

Using LinkedIn
LinkedIn is the most legitimate platform in the professional world. Countless benefits can be acquired from this site. You can connect with other professionals in your field, take a look at their work, and perhaps gain some new contacts.

Additionally, since just about every professional is connected with this platform, it is a great way to go back into your past and reconnect with any of your previous managers or colleagues that you may have lost touch with. You are opening up more opportunities to build lasting connections in your field and gain credibility when trying to get hired by including them in your network.

A helpful tip for LinkedIn members is to perfect your photo that you upload. When scrolling through listings, recruiters are going to first judge your profile based on what you look like, so choosing a professional head shot where you are neat and well dressed is imperative. Read our article about how to use LinkedIn to get a job.

Facebook
Most people have a Facebook page, business professionals are no exception. There are certain professions where it is better to avoid Facebook altogether, but for those of you who set it up correctly Facebook can help you find employment opportunities.

Use the graph search function on the homepage to find people, companies, or general industries that will allow you to connect with potential employers and networking contacts. You are able to include your resume on your Facebook page by incorporating it into a note.

People typically mix their personal and professional Facebook pages together under one email address, so be careful and adjust your privacy settings to make sure all of your personal information is not publicly viewable. You are welcome to visit Resumizer's Facebook page here: Resumizer on Facebook

Twitter
Twitter is much less invasive than Facebook and LinkedIn. However, it is one of the most important tools to consider during your job search. You can follow companies and executives in your field of study and also be informed up-to-the-minute through new postings about news and events in your industry's community.

Follow important industry trends by using the hashtag (#) and track all the current topics of discussion that you could potentially discuss during an interview. Finally, take advantage of the diverse and in-depth community of people that are members on the site. Enlist in chats and discussions about topics in your field and learn new things. You can visit Resumizer's Twitter page here: Resumizer on Twitter

It will take some time to execute your plan to effectively use social media to improve your job search. Correctly using these three major sites to network may take a bit of time, but you may find that when they are used with minimal error, you can improve your job search and have an easier time securing that interview.